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One must admit that huge fields full of parked cars does make one wonder what's going on!
Why? Do you think they ship the cars off the production line one at a time, right to the dealership?
Ford sells about 1 million F150s per year. If they work 365 days per year, 12 hours per day, that's 365*12*60 min, or about 1MM vehicles/260,000 min, or about 3-4 vehicles off the line every minute. What do you think they do with those vehicles?
I don't know what is done with car fresh off the assembly line.
Do you?
They are assembled into large groups to get shipped out from the assembly plants, and at the end ports, they are assembled into large groups before getting delivered to the dealerships in smaller loads. At those intermediate stops, they might be there for a few days waiting for the shipping to be finalized. And for foreign cars, they may be in customs at the port for a while while they are inspected.
So any picture you see of large groups of new cars waiting delivery is probably at either the assembly plant waiting to get out, or at the shipping port waiting on customs or final delivery to individual dealerships.
Dealers order a selection of models, colors, options so that they will have what buyers want in their inventory. These orders are assembled by the truck load at the factories or the railroad yards and shipped to the dealer.
If a particular model, color, etc proves unpopular, incentives are put into the pricing to sell them.
The only time I ever heard of cars not being sold was many years ago when Subaru was new in this country and could not sell their 360 model. They were loaded on barges and dumped in the Pacific.
Another issue is the statement that cars decay quickly when exposed to the elements. Umm no - cars sit outside pretty much 24/7 for most people. They are made to be outside. Sure they decay quickly if you mean like 20 years. However one year - well they might maybe need new batteries, or at least a jump start. But they do not sit for a year, just for a few months tops. At least not in huge numbers.
There is a place across the river from us whether GM Ford and Chrysler sometimes store excess cars. Back in 2009, 2010 2011 when this article was written, it was often full of cars, thousands and thousands of them but they go away after a while. There have not been cars there for a long time. Probably three or four years. They store raw materials there now (salt, copper, iron) or at least they did so until it was repossessed for unpaid taxes.
I would bet those pictured lots were empty a month or a few months after the photos were taken - at least any of them in the USA. It would seem stunning to see a picture of the property across the river from us completely covered in cars, but just as stunning a few months later to see it completely empty. Hardly a shocker there. When they have excess stock, they stockpile cars and then what do they do? They slow production or temporarily close factories until the inventory gets eaten up. It is funny when internet posters assert they are way way smarter than those idiots who run the auto companies. "Look at those idiots, they are still making more and more cars while stockpiling thousands of unsold cars" - except that they aren't. Long before the end of the model year, they know exactly how many cars have sold and adjust production accordingly. They know how many Mustangs were test driven at Gorno Ford in Woodhaven today, not to mention exactly how many sales were completed, of what kind of car and the demographics of each buyer.
It is one of the most basic business concepts, yet our intrepid internet posters believe the largest most successful companies in the world have no idea of of basic business concepts.
I don't know what is done with car fresh off the assembly line.
Do you?
Some people can buy them right off the line and pick them up at the factory. some go direct to dealerships. Some go to big lots like the one across the river from us where they sit for weeks or months. At first they are shipped away in small quantities not all at once, but then it goes pretty fast and boom they are all gone. They also come in pretty fast, the group grows and shrinks a bit, but mostly it is suddenly there and then suddenly gone. It seems like it takes a period of a week or two for them to appear and the same to disappear with weeks to a month or two waiting time in between. Sometimes they are shrink wrapped, sometimes just sitting there. The high end cars tend to be stored inside the old steel mill if there is room, and the rest outside.
I do not know, but I think they may produce a certain type of car for a time, then focus on another type. Sometimes there is a mix of different types of vehicles, but most of the time it appears to be all the same model or two models in two differnt groups, but it is not like 500 mustangs, 300 Escapes, 400 Edges. It is mostly one kind of car, then they are gone, then another kind of car. .
Some people can buy them right off the line and pick them up at the factory. some go direct to dealerships. Some go to big lots like the one across the river from us where they sit for weeks or months. At first they are shipped away in small quantities not all at once, but then it goes pretty fast and boom they are all gone. They also come in pretty fast, the group grows and shrinks a bit, but mostly it is suddenly there and then suddenly gone. It seems like it takes a period of a week or two for them to appear and the same to disappear with weeks to a month or two waiting time in between. Sometimes they are shrink wrapped, sometimes just sitting there. The high end cars tend to be stored inside the old steel mill if there is room, and the rest outside.
I do not know, but I think they may produce a certain type of car for a time, then focus on another type. Sometimes there is a mix of different types of vehicles, but most of the time it appears to be all the same model or two models in two differnt groups, but it is not like 500 mustangs, 300 Escapes, 400 Edges. It is mostly one kind of car, then they are gone, then another kind of car. .
Correct they are from one particular assembly plant. It could be either Chrysler witch has property around their Trenton Engine plant. I've seen GM cars stored on empty lot around their Tech Center, and Fords on empty lots by their Woodhhven near their Monroe assembly plant. It use to be that the big3 would build cars store them and dealers had to buy what was already made and stored on their empty lots.
Correct they are from one particular assembly plant. It could be either Chrysler witch has property around their Trenton Engine plant. I've seen GM cars stored on empty lot around their Tech Center, and Fords on empty lots by their Woodhhven near their Monroe assembly plant. It use to be that the big3 would build cars store them and dealers had to buy what was already made and stored on their empty lots.
I am referring to the former McClouth steel plant and property. All three makers rent space there at times, or used to before the tax foreclosure a few months ago. Cars would appear there, then disappear, then others would appear. Little side note, parts of the avengers was filmed there as well, also part of one of the Transformer movies. For one movie, they blew something up, on a Sunday. Without permission. Sent my wife into a panic and kinda ticked off Trenton government. I have never seen cars stored around Trenton Engine. I drive past it several times a day. Do they have any space left there since the expansion?
I don't know what is done with car fresh off the assembly line.
Do you?
They are put onto a lot attached to the plant that have car-haulers right on site and also have a rail line were they are loaded on car carriers that are doubled stacked and are taken to their final destination. I lived by the Ford Wixom assembly plant were the Lincoln and Tbird were made and they had 5 rail line's next to the plant and a car hauling trucking company with a office building right on site.
Why? Do you think they ship the cars off the production line one at a time, right to the dealership?
Ford sells about 1 million F150s per year. If they work 365 days per year, 12 hours per day, that's 365*12*60 min, or about 1MM vehicles/260,000 min, or about 3-4 vehicles off the line every minute. What do you think they do with those vehicles?
And Ford makes the F150 at 2 assembly Rouge Assembly, and Kansas City assembly. And FYI all the big3 plants are open 24 hours and 365, you can't assemble vehicles 24 hours a day you need maintenance on the line that's when skilled trades do their jobs repair and install equipment.
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